I wanted to wish Happy Holidays to all my fellow BBQERS!

I wanted to wish everyone one here and there families Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! May the new year bring you guys good health, happiness and good grilling! Also a special thanks to all my supporters and sponcers for making this blog possible this year. I look forward in shearing new recepies, new BBQ products reviews and new tips in the new year!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Shawn

GET SPUN! With Dizzy Pig Sices/Rub!

Dizzy Pig BBQ began selling their all natural, hand blended spice rubs 9 years ago to BBQers enthuiast. They currently have eleven unique blends ranging from convential all purpose BBQ rubs to exotic combinations with Asian and Caribbean inspired spices. Dizzy Pig BBQ spices are used by competition BBQ teams and restaurants, but are also available for retail sale to the public.


The best thing about there spices is that its Gluten free and MSG free. The arome you get when you open your bottle is amazing! I have been using there spices/rub for about four years and love it! They are definatelly my favorite! The flavour you get from them is amazing!!!!!


Info bellow is from there website!

Why is Dizzy Pig better?

First thing you notice when you open a jar of Dizzy Pig rub is the fresh aroma. The whole spices and herbs we use are purchased in small quantities to assure freshness, and ground just before bottling. Our recipes are exciting and all of the rubs have their own unique flavor. Not the same rub with slightly different twist, but totally different concoctions so you can find your favorites for each meal.

In addition to fresh ingredients and awesome recipes, Dizzy Pig rubs use superior all natural ingredients and no additives. Gluten-free and No MSG. No anti caking agents. Instead of highly processed white and brown sugars which can burn and become bitter, we use only raw unprocessed "turbinado" sugar. It has a better flavor and a higher burning point. Yep, it's more expensive, but we feel it is worth it. Only coarse flake kosher salt is used in Dizzy Pig rubs. No iodine, and the flakes have a larger surface area to help build a luscious crust.'

Dizzy Pig Spices/Rub Brochure: DizzyPigBrochure.pdf

Dizzy Pig Spices/Rub usage Chart: DizzyRubUseChart.pdf

Dizzy Pig product Description: ProductDescriptioSheet.pdf

There products are available in the following sizes:

1. Gallon container;
2. Quart container;
3. By the pound;
4. Regular spice bottle size.

I rate these spices/rub 4.5 star out of 5!

These spices are now available from:
 Sparkling Pools And Spas 
 512 Main St., Dartmouth, NS 
 Tel: 1 (902) 462-8187


Or directly from: DizzyPigBBQ

Grillgrates another perfect gift for the Backyard BBQers!

I have been using grillgrates for about a month now and let me tell you I am very impress with them! The fish doesn't stick and the extra flavour and juicyness you get from your meat is unbeleavable!

Unlike other drop-on-the-top grates that are made to use for vegetables, fish and other small or fragile foods, the Grill Grate is designed to catch the escaping juices, and have them sizzle below your food, not cause flare-ups that can dry out your meats. Holes allow the fat to drain out, and you don't have to worry about marinades, sauces or rubs causing fires. Further more it delivers those perfect grill marks you're always looking for.

Specs:

Panel are made of aircraft grade aluminum, that is anodized to make it harder than stainless steel, easy to clean, and completely rustproof. and it'll handle temps over 1000 degrees. They come in different sizes and shapes to fit any grill!

Grillgrates being reviewed by fox news:

 I definatelly rate this one a 5 out of 5 star and a must have!

Also check out there sauce tool and hamburger stuffer tool and other cool stuff they carry. There customer service is A++

You can order them from: Grillgrates and via 1-877-380-2527

They also have the following deal for the Holidays:


Save 10-15% AND get FREE Amazing Rib Temperature Magnet with every order. Now that's a grate deal worth sharing!  Link to this amazing deal: Gratesale Valid till December 19, 2011

Free digital copy of Tailgater Magazine every month!

This magazine is full of recepies, gadgets, etc....

Go read the free online digital tailgater magazine here: Tailgatermonthly

Happy reading!

Thermapen thermometer the perfect Christmas Gift!

If your a backyard BBQer or a pitmaster the Thermapen is a must have! The Super-Fast Thermapen™ is a professional tool (originally designed for commercial kitchens, labs and manufacturing plants) that has become the top consumer cooking thermometer for home use. It's popularity among celebrity chefs, cooking magazines, top foodies, bloggers and competition BBQ teams have made the Thermapen™ into an essential tool in the best-equipped home kitchens and backyard BBQ rigs.

The speed and accuracy of the Thermapen is unparralleled.  With a blazing 3 second reading and + or – of .7 degrees it’s going to get the temperature as fast as necessary. Its also has a water-resistance design and Biomaster anti-bacterial addictive. These thermometer are very rugged and can take a good beating!

Features:

3-second readings!
High accuracy to ±0.7°F (±0.4°C)
Water-resistant design
Biomaster anti-bacterial additive
°F to °C reconfigurable
Auto on/off—no buttons!
1,500 hour battery life

Thermapen in action bellow with various test done to it:

Limitted time Promotional Offer: FREE99: Starting today, orders over $99 will receive a FREE IR (Infrared) Pocket Thermometer. Come to think of it, $99 will buy you a new Thermapen and a few accessories. (Enter Promo Code: FREE99) You can order them here: Thermapen                                                                                                                    1-800-393-6434 These are also available at Pederno in bayers lake for a little more money if your in a hurry to get one but you can't get the offer above there.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloins

Glaze:

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Direction:

1.      Cover your Pork Tenderloin with your favourite rub. I used The Red Eye Express from Dizzy Pigs Spices.

2.      Now Inject each tenderloin with some pure maple syrup.

3.      The next step is to wrap your tenderloin with some bacon and sprinkle some Pepper Blend from Cattle Boyz on them.

  .      Pre-heat your BBQ to 220° F. Once the desired temperature is reached set it up for semi indirect cooking. I configured my Big Green Egg with the drip tray with some apple juice in the lower rack and placed my Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin on the top rack above the drip pan. The rack I used is the large adjustable rig from the Ceramic Grilling Store.

5.      Now cook at 220° F for about one to one and half hour with some apple wood on the lump charcoal for some added smoke flavour. When the internal temp reaches 140° F.

6.      In the meantime, combine the brown sugar, flour, cider vinegar, and dry mustard in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 1 minute. Spoon over the pork and increase BBQ temp to 325° F and cook for additional 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until pork registers 160° F.

Spices can be aquired from: Dizzy Pig

The adjustable Rig can be aquired from: The Ceramic Grilling Store

BBQ Meatloaf on my Big Green Egg

Ingredients

• 1/4+ cup packed Brown or Raw sugar
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper Blend Cattle Boyz
• Fresh garlic (2 cloves) or to taste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
• 3/4 cup Bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp Red Eye from Dizzy Pig Spices
• Optional chop Orange and Red Peppers.

Directions

1. Preheat BBQ to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. I always put a drip pan with a little apple juice and water underneath the loaf on a separate grate.
3. For glaze mixed ketchup, 1tbsp Worcestershire, brown sugar (you can also mixed a little sugar in loaf)
4. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf but keep Bake in preheated egg  for 1 hour or until juices are clear. I made my own loaf pan out of heavy duty foil!

TIP: You can also add a little apple wood to add the Smokey flavour. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chips Cookies on The Big Green EGG

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.   Preheat BBQ to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) I used a Big Green egg with the plate setter with legs down and pizza stone sitting on top.

2.   Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment paper and use pizza peel to place on BBQ.

3.   Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated BBQ, or until edges are nicely browned. I like to move them around half way through the cook to prevent hot spots!

Tip: You can mix different type of chocolate chips together which plays with your taste buds!

Enjoy!

BEEF BBQ RIBS

The Day Before Preps

The day before remove the membrane of the ribs! The membrane on the ribs keeps out all the flavor of the BBQ rub and the smoke, making the ribs pretty tuff that even the sharpest teeth won't be able to penetrate. Removing the membrane can be a bit of a challenge but it really improves the quality of your beef ribs. Here's a video that shows you how to remove the membrane that I found on youtube.

After the three hour of soaking remove the ribs from the brine and place on aluminum sheet. Now you want to sprinkle a good layer of your favorite rubs on all sides of the ribs. For this recipe I used a mixture of Red Eye Express, Raising the Steaks, and Jamaican FireWalk from Dizzy Pig spices. Then you want to wrap your ribs with Saran wrap and place in the fridge overnight. 

Day of the Cook 

Prepare your Kamado Joe, Green EGG or other BBQ for indirect grilling at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, using Jack Daniels and Apple wood chips for smoke flavor. Two hour before cook pre-soak them in water or some apple juice.

Also this is the time that I put a thin coat of brown sugar on them to seal in the spices!

I used a Kamado Joe BBQ for this cook. I first started my fire and ensure I had a stable fire. I then placed my presoak apple wood chunks and Jake Daniels wood chips on the hot coil. Then I placed the heat deflector with the drip tray filled with apple juice. Then I place the cooking grate on top immediately followed by the ribs. Now you want to let them smoke for three hours at a temp of 250-275 F. degrees.

It is very important to keep a close eye on the pit to ensure the temp stays steady between 250-275 F. degrees.  To makes this process easier I used the DigiQ DX temperature control from the BBQ Guru.

I now leave them on the cooker for another 1.5 Hour but spray them with apple juice every 30 minutes.

After the 1.5 hour bring the fire temp up to 325 then cook for another 20 minutes and baste the ribs every 5 minutes with your favourite sauce I used Diana Sauce chicken and ribs today.

You can also do the alternate method bellow: (this method is the way I usually go!)

Take a double-thick piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (big enough to wrap a slab of ribs), and slather about 1/3 cup of honey on each sheet, spreading it where the ribs will lie and brown sugar. Place the ribs meaty side down and add more honey and brown sugar on top of the slab. Now crimp the edges of the foil and pour 1/2 cup of apple juice in the bottom. Do this for all your beef rib slabs. Loosely close the packets around the ribs and lay them back in the cooker.

Cook another 90 minutes. Carefully unwrap the packets and take out the ribs. Place the ribs back on the cooker, raising the temperature to 350 degrees. Brush them with the glaze or barbecue sauce of your choice ( I used Diana Sauce Chicken and Ribs) and flip several times for another 20 minutes.

Here's a recipe of my favorite BBQ sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 slices lemons

Directions

1. Over medium heat stir all of the ingredients together.

Enjoy!

Dizzy Pig Spices can be ordered from here: Dizzy Pig

DigiQ temperature controle can be ordered from here: The BBQ Guru

Maple Leaf Lump Charcoal can be found at your local Rona and Home Hardware.

Free online digital copy of Tailgater BBQ magazine

Here's a free online BBQ Magazine thats full of good stuff!

Go read it here: Tailgater Magazine

Enjoy and Good reading!

Kamado Joe Joins the Canadian Navy!

The moral of the crews of the MCVD class Navy ships just went up ten folds! Each ship just got fitted with two Kamado Joe each. The only thing that is left to do is finish building the custom tables that wild hold two Large Kamado Joe. Has you can see the sailors were pretty anxious in using there new grills that they improvised a make shift stand for them temporally till the new tables are installed. Two thumbs up to Kamado Joe in helping the Canadian Navy reserves acquire these!

Thanks! Kamado Joe for suporting our sailors its greatly appreciated!

The Big Green Egg Review

Here's my review of The Large Big Green EGG that lots of you have been waiting for. I have own my BGE for five years and going on six. I have been using it at least five time a week since I owned it. I also own two large Kamado Joe BBQ has well, so I have lots of experience using these Kamado ceramic cookers. BGE come in the XL, Large, Medium, Small, and mini in size. They also have a large variety of accessories available for the use on the BGE. 


The Big Green EGG company was founded in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia. Has you can see they have been on the market producing ceramic Kamado's for a long period. I found the BGE difficult to put together compared to other cooker so it might be a smart ideal to get the dealer to put it together for you. There's lots of Eggheads out there that worships BGE like a shrine. There is lots of BGE support forums out there with lots of good people on there to help with cooking, sharing recipes, etc...

Specifications:

•   18-inch diameter cooking grid

•   Top vent cap is cast iron

•   Bottom vent is stainless steel

•   Heavy ceramic shell holds heat and stops temperature fluctuations

•   Glazed exterior makes it easy to clean

•   Spring loaded lid for easy lifting

•   Porcelain coated steel cooking grates

•   Precisely molded ceramics bonded with a green, nontoxic glazed exterior that won’t fade, discolour    or peel

•   Weighs 140 pounds

•   255 square inches of cooking surface

•   The Large EGG can cook: ◦20-pound turkey

            ◦ 12 burgers

            ◦ 6 chickens vertically

            ◦ 8 steaks

            ◦ 7 racks of ribs vertically

The Big Green Egg has a cooking temperature range from 0 degree F to 750 degree F but can easily obtain temperatures over 1000 degree F. This BBQ is perfect for smoking to searing steaks. I was able to maintain a temp of 350 degree F for 12 hours without a hitch which is pretty good. This Kamado style cooker is also perfect for baking with the use of the optional plate setter and pizza stone. You can cook indirect with the use of there plate setter. There ceramic isn't has thick as other Kamado style cookers but is of very good quality. The thickness of the ceramic will not affect the taste of the food but will help in retaining internal heat which makes it more efficient! 

Indirect set up:

Baking set-up without pizza stone:

Baking with plate setter and Pizza stone set-up:

The cons:

I find that there Temperature gauge is very small which can be hard to read. One think that I really dislike about the BGE is that there factory installed gasket don't last. As soon as you do high temp cooking you will most likely burn the gasket. I replaced mine almost every three months and finally decided to go with a Rutland gasket which will last for a long period. There replacement gasket cost approximately twenty dollars which can add up pretty quick! BGE has known about the issue with their gasket for many years and never went out of there way to find a better gasket material that can withstand the high heat. My question is why did they ever address this issue. I also dislike the size of their casters which I find them small for the weight of the egg. Also the BGE is easy to tip when moving it around with it in the nest so you have to use caution when moving it around. I also find that BGE air flow into there fire box is not has good has there competition. I also find them very costly compared to better Kamado cookers! The upper vent has tendency to fully open when opening the lid so don't forget to re-adjust after closing the lid. This can be prevented by putting the screw of the daisy wheel toward the top

The gasket burn test perform by GrandPas Grub from greeneggers:

Here's what he had to say: 

Here is the BGE felt gasket after applying a MAPP torch to the gasket. 15 seconds with a 15 to 18 inch distance.

You can see the full test here and see how order brands gasket faired out for your own education: BGE, Kamado Joe and Nomex Gasket Burn TEST

The Pro:

Overall it's a pretty good BBQ that produces very good results. I would definitely rate them in the top 3 ceramic Kamado style BBQ's. What I also like about there cooker is that it has a screen on there bottom vent for added fire safety and that it has a rain cap to put out the lump charcoal and to keep the weather out. There ceramic inside the cooker is a very smooth surface which makes it easier to clean and less grease will stick. I also like the fact that there fire box is pre-cut on one side which prevents it's from cracking which lots of other brands have issue with. They also have a very large selection of accessories available and there's lots of custom made accessories available for it has well! They have lots of forums out there to help and assist fellow eggheads.

Conclusion:

I would definitely recommend the BGE brand to anyone and I found it a good quality Kamado cooker. But I wish that BGE would finally start listening to there customers and improve the BGE product has per customers recommendation and improve there corporate customer service on the Canadian side of the border. To be dully noted that the customer service for them is A1 in the U.S. 

I rate them 3.5 stars out of 5 stars rating.  I would definitely rate them a lot higher if they would fixed there gasket issue and improve there products as per customer recommendations. 

More info on BGE can be found here: BGE Canada Forum: EGGHEAD  and www.greeneggers and Facebook The-Big-Green-Egg

In Halifax the BGE's are available from "Sparkling Pool and Spa" on 515 Main Street Dartmouth which has excellent customer service! They can also be reached at (902) 462-8187.

SAFETY NOTE:

“Note, if you’ve been cooking at temperatures above 300 degrees F, be very careful when opening the lid. First, raise the lid and inch or two and pause to “burp” it before raising the lid completely. This will allow the sudden rush of oxygen to burn safely inside the EGG and not as a flashback which could startle you and possibly cause injury.” (BGE, Big Green Egg, Burping the BGE, Egg, Fireball, grilling | posted in Safety First)